CROATIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS BOSNIAN COUNTERPART, SARAJEVO ARCH

ARCH $ BISHOP SARAJEVO, Aug 30 (Hina) - Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic met in Sarajevo on Friday with his Bosnian counterpart Jadranko Prlic and Sarajevo Archbishop Cardinal Vinko Puljic. They agreed that the holding of elections was equally important for the Croatian and Moslem people in Bosnia-Herzegovina and that they should not be delayed. "We strongly support the holding of elections because without them the Dayton process cannot continue and there's no doubt that all the processes would go in the other direction," Granic told reporters after the talks. Granic said that he and Puljic agreed that the setup of new municipalities would ensure the identity of all nations, including the Croatian, and the return of refugees. He expressed confidence that municipalities would be established between the general and local elections, which would further encourage the strengthening of the Federation and the implementation of the Washington and Dayton agreements. Stressing his concern for the survival of the Croatian Catholic community in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Puljic said that politicians were responsible for finding a way to achieve that goal. "The Church believes that the elections should be held and we have called on the people to take part in them," Puljic said, expressing hope that the delay of the municipal balloting would not upset the general elections. (hina) vm jn 301706 MET aug 96